Roller-skate.



. -PATEN TED JULY 14, 1908. W. P. DODGE.

ROLLER SKATE. APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1907.

WALTER P. DODGE, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROLLER-SKATE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14;, 1908.

Application filed September 1'7, 1907. Serial No. 393,361.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER P. DODGE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Roller-Skates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in roller skates.

The object of the invention is to provide a structure in which the pivotal connection between the rear truck and bracket will be permitted to have rotative movements between the truck and bracket while turning corners, or otherwise inclining the heel-plate also in means for normally maintaining parallelism between the heel-plate and the truck axle, as will be fully described in the body of the specification. I attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a partial sectional side elevation of the rear portion of a skate, one of the wheels being removed for the sake of clearness, the section being taken on line 11 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the skate showing the heel-plate in a horizontal position, and with certain parts removed. Fig. 3 is also an end elevation of the rear portion of the skate showing the heel-plate in an inclined position with the improved pivotal connecting means between the heel-plate and truck for permitting the heel-plate to readily assume this position.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a designates the main frame of the skate that is provided with an inclined flanged or bracket portion 6 to which the stamping c is riveted, the heel-plate cl being secured to the frame a by means of rivets e which pass through the flanged portion f of the frame a, in the usual manner. The downwardly extending ears g and h of the stamping c afford means for pivotally connecting the rear truck frame i to the main frame a by means of suitable openings therein for receiving the pivots and k which are carried by the truck '5.

The construction of the forward pivotal connection 9' is the usual construction in this class of articles, the rear pivotal connection k, however, (which is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and to which the invention is confined) being entirely different from that found in practice. This pivotal connection includes a rectangular opening m in the downwardly extending ear h of the stamping a.

The pivot k which is a part of the truck i is, as shown, made substantially rectangular in shape so as to closely fit the opening 'm, transversely considered, its vertical dimensions, however, being less than the vertical dimension of the opening m, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, whereby the stamping 0 can readily be rotated to the position shown in Fig. 3. The corner portions of the pivot 7c are slightly rounded or curved, as indicated at 0, so as to permit of said rotative movement the rounded corner of the pivot during such movement resting in the lower corner of the opening m, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, when the heel-plate d is inclined. This form of pivotal connection for the rear truck contains decided advantages over the prior art,

since it permits a free vertical movement of the truck 'i with relation to the frame a, when the rubber cushion p is sufficiently compressed, as indicated in Fig. 2, where the pivot 7c is shown near the upper portion of the opening m. It also permits a free rocking movement of the heel-plate d, as plainly indicated in Fig. 3, the slightly rounded corners 0 of the pivot is, readily permitting such rocking movement.

The opening in the forward portion of the truck i where the bolt q passes therethrough is of such size as to permit the pivot 70 to move vertically, if necessary, in the opening m, as readily understood. The rubber cushion p is prevented from lateral displacement by means of the depending lips r on the stamping 0. This cushion, being under compression, normally acts to maintain parallelism between the heel-plate d and the axle of the truck. It will therefore be seen that I have provided a pivotal construction for the rear truck of a roller skate that not only permits relative vertical movement of, the truck and frame, but in addition free rotative movement of the frame.

What I claim, is

1. In combination with the main frame of a roller-skate, a truck, means for pivotally connecting the truck to the frame, and including a member secured to the main frame and having a rectangular opening in one portion thereof, the member being pivotally connected to the truck at another portion thereof, a rectangular element carried by the truck and loosely engaging the opening in the member, as described.

2. In combination with the main frame of a roller-skate, a truck, means for pivotally connecting the truck to the frame, and including a member secured to the main frame and having a rectangular opening in one portion thereof, the member being pivotally connected to the truck at another portion thereof, an element carried by the truck and loosely engaging the opening in the member, the vertical dimension of the element being less than the vertical dimension of the opening, and the transverse dimension of said-element and opening being substantially equal, a cushion located between the frame and truck whereby vertical and rotative movement of the frame may be permitted, as de scribed.

8. As an improvement in means for securing a roller skate truck to the main frame,

said means including a member secured to said frame and having a rectangular opening therein, the truck having a correspondingly shaped pivot, but of less din'lension, whereby rotative movement between the same may be effected, and means for normally maintaining the truck axle in parallelism with the heel-plate.

WALTER P. DODGE. Witnesses:

WM. H. CIIAPIN, R. I. CLEMoNs. 

